The Buffalo Niagara region ranks as the 50th largest metropolitan area in the United States. Regions ranking closely above and below Buffalo Niagara are peer metros that give context to the performance of our region and offer opportunities to learn from their best practices. These metros offer relevant examples of similar sized economies, facing many of the same challenges of mid-sized U.S. metros. Looking to these peers should be the first step in evaluating the effectiveness of new initiatives, tools and policy to grow opportunities, locally.

Metro 50 Buffalo Niagara is a series of ‘factsheet’ publications on topical areas relevant to local economic development, placing those issues in the context of comparable metropolitan areas. Each publication evaluates Buffalo Niagara’s performance and identifies relevant best practices for key economic development initiatives.

Job Growth

Our region’s economic revitalization continues to require significant assistance and support through coordinated economic development efforts. Now is NOT the time to take our foot off the gas!

Affordable Housing

This piece compares Buffalo Niagara to our peer metros on housing costs and will serve as important base data in crafting responsible policy for addressing the affordable housing needs in our local community.

State Tax Environment

The Buffalo Niagara region resides within the nation’s 2nd-worst state business tax climate. To sustain our local revitalization, we must create a more competitive cost structure for businesses to spur growth and investment.